Digital Marketing vs. Print Marketing

Marketing is the creative process or activity used to attract and engage an audience. When it comes to marketing a business, there are two main forms from which you can choose: print and digital. Print marketing is a more traditional method, although it has become very advanced with technology, and digital marketing is more common these days with future-forward thinking. Both are proven to increase the success of a business but require different tactics.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is advertising performed online and by using digital media outlets. The internet, television, radio, and mobile phones are media outlets that can be used to promote and market a brand or product.

• Web Search (SEO)- Web search or SEO, also known as search engine optimization, is the process of improving the quantity and quality of website traffic. This is important to have your website appear higher in the list of results when someone searches on Google, Bing, or another search engine.

• Website- A website provides a platform to share more information about your brand, products, and services. The display of a website is important because it can often increase online visibility and brand recognition.

• Social Media- As different online platforms are growing; they can be used to target an audience and promote products and services. It is important to understand what social media platforms your target audience is using. A very different demographic uses Facebook vs. TikTok, which is becoming one of the most used social media platforms in the world at the time of this post.

• Targeted Ads- Targeted digital ads are used to target a specific demographic or niche. Targeted ads can be catered toward a location, age range, purchase history, and much more.

• Email Marketing- Email marketing can be used to send messages via email to prospective or return customers. Email can also be used for newsletters, promotions, updates, and much more.

• Video- Using videos such as commercials or live streams can be a professional and informative way to market. Videos are attention-grabbing and memorable.

• Influencer Marketing- Influencer marketing is a newer form of marketing that uses social media gurus with a large following to promote a product or service for your business on their social media platforms.

Advantages of Digital Marketing

There are many financial and environmental benefits to digital marketing, including:

• Low Cost- The cost of digital marketing can be low cost depending on which platforms and outlets are used. For example, television and radio marketing would be more costly than social media marketing.

• Sustainable- Digital marketing is often an eco-friendlier way to market a business compared to print marketing.

• Versatility- Digital marketing opens various opportunities for a business and has multiple content and platform types.

• Production- Digital marketing has a fast production rate and quick response rate.

• Targeting- Digital marketing can be used to effectively target specific audiences.

• Analytics- Digital marketing is also a great tool for tracking and measuring analytics. These analytics include return on investment (ROI), cost-per-click (CPC), customer acquisition cost (CAC), and customer lifetime value (CLTV). Information from these analytics can be taken to help engage customers at all buying stages. This will help with future lead generation.

• Credibility- Utilizing digital marketing builds a brand presence and credibility. For larger brands, it is an option to apply for social media verification on specific platforms. Digital marketing also helps increase customer loyalty with frequent communications.

Disadvantages of Digital Marketing

Although there are not many, there are a few downsides of digital marketing. The digital world is extremely saturated with content and users, which can make it difficult for small businesses to attract viewers and engagement. Because of this, creative and engaging marketing tactics need to be utilized; and even then, may be lost in the clutter.

The digital world is rapidly advancing, and it can often be hard to stay up-to-date or ahead of trends. Marketing experts need to study algorithms and analytics of multiple online platforms to produce successful digital marketing.

Print Marketing

Print marketing is advertising using printed materials such as brochures, signage, direct mail, and business cards. Print marketing is the “traditional” form of marketing with which most people are familiar and believe they understand.

• Brochures and Flyers- Printed brochures and flyers can be useful for marketing in-depth information. These are great pieces for handouts and mailers to current and prospective clients to describe products and services.

• Signage- Signage is a large category that covers small, large, indoor, outdoor, permanent, and temporary pieces. A few examples include POP displays, wayfinding signage, banners, company signs, etc.

• Direct Mail- Direct mail is one of the most important print marketing materials a business or organization can utilize. Direct mail has a higher response rate than most common digital marketing materials. Examples of direct mail pieces include postcards, promotional announcements, coupons, thank yous, etc.

• Business Cards- Business cards are the perfect print marketing material for promoting oneself or a business. Business cards can be crafted to have tailored designs and text to match your brand.

• Promotional Materials- A business can use promotional print products internally for employee use and externally for customer use or gifting. Examples include magnets, notepads, decals, stickers, etc.

Advantages of Print Marketing

There are many reasons why print stands out to consumers and is an effective form of marketing. These include:

• Traditional- Print marketing has been used for hundreds of years and has the research to back up its success.

• Tangible- Print is tangible, which makes it more memorable.

• Accurate- Print is often perceived to be more accurate and trustworthy compared to digital media.

• Custom and personal- A large benefit to print is that it can be personal and customizable. Because print is personal, it can help build meaningful connections.

• Effectiveness- Print is efficient, measurable, and has a large reach. Print can even be used to direct someone online or to promote online sales.

Disadvantages of Print Marketing

Although print marketing is a traditional method, it still has its downsides. Contrary to digital materials, which can be uploaded and distributed in minutes, print has a longer production and distribution timeline. Print is also often more costly than digital media and could take up a large portion of a marketing budget. For sustainable brands, print can be a potentially environmentally unfriendly marketing method.

Advantages of Digital & Print Marketing Together (Multimedia Marketing)

Statistics show that by utilizing both digital and print in your marketing strategy, you will elevate your brand recognition and get better results. Individual consumers interact differently with digital and print media. By using both mediums for marketing, you increase the likelihood of reaching your target audience through more touchpoints and getting a better return on your investment.

Conclusion

So, you may ask: Which is better? At Omega, we believe that businesses need both digital and print marketing to succeed. Digital marketing and print marketing can be effective on their own, but utilizing both optimizes efficiency and achievement. Omega can provide endless print marketing and digital marketing services to anyone in need!

Contact us to learn more about how to utilize and integrate digital and print media into your marketing strategy!

Written by Omega High-Impact Print Solutions’ Marketing Associate, Ava Hoch.